led by Elyse and Woody

Legalization, Deportations, and Separation of families

Describe the problem you investigated:

The problem we are investigating is unfair laws and acts that the government is trying to pass. These laws that are unjust and unfair, deporting hard working men, fathers who provide income and take care of a family.
People can not come to U.S. and work in order to pursue happiness.


Causes and effect of this problem:

The government takes no thought in considering breaking up families. People in general migrate to the U.S. to live a better life, have a chance, an opportunity to live a better life. People migrate and leave their home country to have the rights, freedom and a better life in America. Because of all hardships, struggles, their status and all the needs their government is not giving them.

Your group's solution:

We are pretending to have a mock trial of a case that asks for the Dream Act and the Child Protection Act to take place. We are trying to fight for the Dream Act which would help students who are illegal to become citizens under the agreement of graduating from high school and college for two years.
Due to the fact that the Dream Act, along with the Child Citizen Protection Act, have not been passed, this will be the opportunity all immigrant students need to succeed.

Project you were working on:

We are pretending to have a trial. In this trial we are trying to fight for the Dream Act and the Child Protection Act, which would help students or children come to the U.S. before the age of fifteen, graduate high school and complete 2 years of college, or military in order to get citizenship.

Speech by Mari Bañales:

My name is Mari Bañales and I am from the Deportation and Separation of Family group. The problem we encountered is that the United States Government is deporting people and separating families.
I interviewed a young lady who is currently going through the deportation process. Her husband applied for citizenship through their marriage. He was called for an interview, and was asked how he arrived to the United States. He answered, in Spanish, that he arrived as every citizen does, over the bridge. But, when his answer was translated to English, his words were mixed up. Therefore, he was stripped of his worker’s permit and denied citizenship.
The young lady and her husband applied to appeal, but were denied not once, but twice, costing them over five thousand dollars. Her husband has no criminal record, came here legally, has been working with a permit and has done nothing wrong. Now, they live day by day in fear of their family being separated by a misunderstanding.
Now, his wife and two young kids have to make a choice. Does his wife give up her morals and values and divorce her husband, and raise her children as a single mother, or do her and her children give up all their rights as US citizens, to the country that they were born in, to keep their family together?
The solution to this problem can be very easy and solved quickly if the US government would pass the Child Citizen Protection Act. This act allows the parents of a citizen child to stay here in the United States if it is in the best interest of the child. If the act is passed, this family will stay together and once again live a normal, happy life.
We are asking that the new President of the United States pass not only the Child Citizen Protection Act, but also the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act will allow non-citizens to go to school and better not only themselves, but also our nation. So please help the immigrant families. Put yourself in their place, and walk a day in their shoes.
Thank you.